This week NBC Universal’s “Green is Universal” presented over 150 hours of green-related material this week, all with the underlying message that there is something all of us can do to save the enviroment. Focus Features has already been moving in that direction, with their last two films being green productions. Scott Macaulay’s “It’s Easy Being Green” highlights much of the efforts behind Sam Mendes’ new comedy.

Ang Lee’s hippie period piece Taking Woodstock employed much of the same methods—using recyclable cups (made of corn) and dinner-wear, washing dishes rather than throwing paper plates away, and banning all plastic water bottles, issuing refillable metal canteens to all cast and crew instead. But shooting in upstate New York gave the opportunity to go even further. Working with regional farmers to provide local produce and meats, they also gave back by saving all scraps and leftovers for the neighborhood pigs (no, not the ones at the strip bar, but the ones residing in nearby farms). According to Taking Woodstock's Environmental Coordinator Nicole Feder (who may possibly be the first to occupy such a position), “What ever scraps we have from plates or from catering we donate to the local farms so they can feed their animals”––a gesture that made pigs, farmers and filmmakers all very happy.

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